Art could feel the immense mana radiating from Asura, her presence suddenly more formidable than ever. 'She must have absorbed whatever power was left in here,' he thought. 'This level of energy feels on par with my true weapon's form from earlier.'Still unconscious, Asura didn’t notice as Art turned his gaze back to the empty box in front of him. Why is it empty? Was there never anything here, or did someone else come before us?The thought lingered, but he decided not to dwell on it further. As he tried to shake off his unease, his eyes drifted toward another box in the room, one adorned with the royal family’s crest. It was a bold, commanding design meant to inspire awe—a golden dragon with wings unfurled, its scales glinting as it coiled protectively around a central shield. The dragon’s gaze was fierce, embodying the family’s strength and enduring legacy.A strange discomfort settled over Art as he stepped closer to it, an ache in his head growing sharper with each step. 'Why do
Art couldn't believe what was in front of him. He stared at the figure, barely daring to blink. Beside him, Asura stood frozen in disbelief. She had long awaited this moment, but now that it had arrived, uncertainty gnawed at her resolve.The entity before them was unlike anything they’d encountered. Humanoid in shape but far from human, it stood tall at 6’5, with ash-gray skin adorned with glowing, intricate runes that pulsed faintly. Its features—ears, nose, a mouth, and piercing blue eyes—hinted at humanity, but its presence radiated something far more sinister.Both Art and Asura recognized its overwhelming strength—it exuded the raw power of a B-rank beast. The mere thought of facing it dredged up bitter memories for Asura. Her last similar situation didn't end well.The ash figure remained motionless, staring them down. Its gaze bore a weight that pressed on them like a physical force, suffocating and unrelenting. Neither of them dared to move. They knew that any sudden action c
The ash humanoid advanced, its blue inscriptions pulsing brighter as if mocking their earlier attempts. Asura wiped a streak of dirt from her cheek, her frost-coated fingers trembling slightly. Her chest heaved with labored breaths, but her eyes stayed fixed on the figure.Art stood nearby, his body rigid as he assessed the creature’s every movement. The orb in his hand flickered faintly, its surface seeming to ripple with latent energy.“We need to end this quickly,” he said, his voice steady but tense.“Tell me something I don’t know,” Asura replied, her tone flat. She tightened her grip on her frost-coated dagger, the ice shimmering under the faint light of the inscriptions.The creature moved first, its silent approach unnerving as it closed the distance in seconds. Art stepped forward, the orb in his hand morphing into a spear that glowed faintly gold. He thrust it toward the creature’s chest, but it twisted with unnatural speed, dodging the attack while bringing its bladed arm d
The glowing inscriptions pulsed rhythmically, as though taunting the two warriors. Slowly but surely, the ash humanoid reassembled itself, each fragment of its crumbled form snapping into place with eerie precision. It stood tall once more, its hollow gaze fixed on them.Art exhaled sharply, gripping the orb in his hand as it morphed into a longsword. Beside him, Asura clenched her frost-covered fists, icy mist swirling around her. The brief moment of rest had done little to restore their strength, but neither was willing to retreat.“Round three huh?” Art muttered, stepping forward.The creature didn’t wait. It lunged at them with blistering speed, its blade-like arm arcing toward Asura. She met it head-on, summoning a glacial shield just in time to block the strike. The force of the impact sent cracks spiraling through the ice, but she held her ground.“Go!” she shouted, her voice tight.Art didn’t hesitate. He darted around the creature’s flank, the orb reshaping into a battle axe
In a forest shrouded by the dim light of dusk, a group of scattered individuals stood frozen, their gazes locked in a singular direction. Their fear was palpable, almost tangible in the stillness of the air.“It’s all my fault… What have I done?” Ramond’s voice trembled as his wide, fearful eyes remained glued to the figures emerging from the ominous magic circle.Nearby, Ave broke into a dry, almost maniacal laugh. “And to think I dreamed of living a long life. Hey, Scry! Guess you were right after all —except we’re all in this together.”Scry, however, did not respond. His focus was solely on the source of their terror.Standing before them were two hulking, primate-like beasts with sinewy limbs and charcoal-gray fur. Each moved with primal grace, their elongated arms ending in obsidian claws. Faintly glowing red eyes peered menacingly from beneath heavy brows, and jagged bony ridges along their spines pulsed with an eerie light. These were unmistakably C-rank beasts, terrifying eno
“We made it in time.”The group looked around to notice that another group of three adults had joined them. They were part of the team in charge of this raid.Not long ago, they received a distress call from the main base at camp and came as quickly as they could.Thankfully, from what they could observe, no one was killed yet. It would’ve been the other way round if they arrived even a second late.“SIGH! It would’ve been bad on our part if someone from the Royal Academy was killed like this in a raid,” one of them, a young man with short black hair and blue eyes, voiced out.Another with long brown hair and brown eyes nodded.They didn’t seem too bothered by the beats in front of them. “Shadowapes huh? You can rest now. We’ll take it from here.”These words brought relieve to the students as tears fell from Ramond eyes.The forest erupted into chaos as the two Shadowapes charged forward, their hulkin
The ash humanoid figure stood still despite all that had happened.“I guess we’ll have to finish up,” the brown haired man said, preparing for their next confrontation. This ash figure was definitely on a different level, that the beasts they just handled.“It’s not going to be easy. That thing isn’t a beast. It would be a problem if it has decent intellect,” the black haired man voiced out observing the creature. “No,” a voice came from behind them. “Leave this one to me.”This voice belonged to the third person and leader of their team, who has been silently standing on a tree all this time. His gaze fixed on the humanoid figure. He wasn’t sure what it was, but he had an idea. And what better way go confirm than an exchange of fists. He was actually itching to test himself against it. His feelings showing faintly in his almost neutral eyes.“If you say so, boss.”With this, the two men went beside the students to ensure they won’t be caught in the crossfire. “Now,” he said, takin
Everyone stared at the bald man because of the words he just uttered.“Unfortunately, this fight has come to an end. I’ve figured out your secret.”‘It has one?’ Rhea wondered; she couldn’t even think straight, much less discover something like this.“I’m sure you all know that it isn’t a beast. That thing is the creation of a mage using rune magic. It must’ve taken a very powerful mage to create one with this level of strength. But it has a weakness.”“As expected,” the brown-haired man chuckled.With an aura of confidence, the bald-haired man took a stance while inhaling slowly. Vwooooommmmmm!!!They both charged at each otherThe ash figure lunged again, its claws slicing through the air with deadly precision. The bald man deflected the blow with his staff, his breaths coming slightly heavier now, though his sharp eyes stayed focused. He noticed it again—a faint flicker along the glowing blue runes that covered its body. Most of the inscriptions dimmed momentarily when the figure